Juneteenth: Celebrating the End of (CENSORED)

How about we stop whitewashing the centuries of Black pain that was slavery?

Today is Juneteenth, a federal holiday —and even a state one in Missouri—marking the effective end of slavery in the nation. It’s relatively new in that status, having been established officially in 2021 by President Joe Biden.

Juneteenth marks the official enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation on June 19, 1865 in Texas. It was the last state to have officially resisted that landmark action two years earlier by President Abraham Lincoln.

It might be taught today in history books that Union General Gordon Granger did the deed by issuing General Order No. 3 in Galveston, Texas.

Or maybe not.

White parents of schoolchildren—in a growing number of states—might demand this sort of unpleasant back story removed from the curriculum, or perhaps insist that at the least, Texas’ side of the story be told. After all, the implication that white people pushed back against Lincoln might cause white children a sense of guilt or unease. Can’t have that.

If that sounds melodramatic, take a spin around America’s educational landscape today:

• In Florida the state today forces teachers to say that ‘slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.’ That language remains in the standards — despite fierce national backlash.

• In Texas, the state approved social studies books describing enslaved people as “workers” and that teach students slavery “declined” over time—omitting the violent white supremacy and profit motives that drove it.

• In South Carolina, legislators stripped the AP designation from its African‑American Studies course. Slavery still gets a mention, but only in a watered-down elective—no required credit.

• In Iowa this spring, a teacher was removed from the classroom simply for stating that slavery was morally wrong.

• In Tennessee, the state passed a law criminalizing teaching anything that might cause students racial “discomfort.”

• At the federal level, the Trump administration has canceled Juneteenth programming—and otherwise slashed support for it—as part of its commitment to the white nationalist agenda of Project 2025. Marketed more benignly as the war on DEI.

Long before any of this, most of America had always glossed over the ugliness and horror of slavery as merely a “dark chapter” in the nation’s history

Slavery in America was not merely unpaid labor—it was a four-century reign of dehumanization, torture, rape, and systemic violence, legally sanctioned and economically essential to the nation's growth.

Rape of young Black women and girls—often adolescents—was not considered a crime due to the legal status of enslaved people as property. Some of our most beloved Founding Fathers participated in this activity.

Sure, we don’t dwell on that today. We don’t want to be reminded of whippings, mutilations, amputations and iron muzzles used to instill obedience. Or of families torn apart when husbands, wives, and children were sold separately, often across state lines, never to see each other again.

There is no accurate count of how many enslaved people were raped, tortured, or murdered. But the system itself was a crime against humanity, carried out across generations—with impunity.

So we’d like to focus on something else.

But despite its abolition in 1865, slavery’s generational legacy has persisted all the way until now in mass incarceration, systemic racism and vast economic inequality. The nation proudly has made great progress toward equality, and can continue doing so today.

On Juneteenth? Not so much.

It’s hardly breaking news that Rep. Wesley Bell was alone among the local Congressional delegation in issuing messaging on his official website and social media celebrating the importance of Juneteenth. Perhaps you’ll be shocked to know that Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt kept alive their streak of never mentioning the word “Juneteenth” on their Twitter accounts (or likely anywhere).

Rep. Bob Onder did manage to restrain himself from savaging the existence of the holiday, which is something. Rep. Ann Wagner, whose only Juneteenth message came in the form of 20 nice words when I was running against her last year, apparently forgot to mention it this year.

To his credit, in contrast, Gov. Mike Kehoe did post a thoughtful message on Twitter today, stating, “today is a reminder that freedom has not always been extended to every life in America.” Good for him.

Among the comments it earned him: “Woke pandering” and “Yeah, probably should've skipped this one” and “It’s a Democrat fake holiday you traitor” and my personal favorite, “Juneteenth is a made up holiday intended to stoke division between whites and blacks. You are annoying to celebrate it.”

There’s your Juneteenth message about the legacy of slavery.

“Hey, we’re all good now, right?”

And don’t be annoying about it, anyway.

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